A.J. Hinch secured his 400th win as the manager of the Detroit Tigers with a 6-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday, April 11, at Comerica Park, doing so in his 825th game across parts of six seasons.
The 51-year-old became the eighth manager in franchise history to reach the milestone.
Did Hinch celebrate?
“No, I’m celebrating the series win – and just getting back on track for our guys,” Hinch said.
The other seven managers to secure 400 wins with the Tigers: Sparky Anderson (1,331 wins), Hughie Jennings (1,131 wins), Jim Leyland (700 wins), Bucky Harris (516 wins), Steve O’Neill (509 wins), Ty Cobb (479 wins) and Del Baker (417 wins).
Of those seven, Anderson, Leyland and Harris were inducted into the Hall of Fame as managers.
Hinch has 970 wins in his 12-year managerial career.
To get there, Hinch secured 89 wins in 212 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2009-10), 481 wins in 810 games with the Houston Astros (2015-19) and 400 wins in 825 games with the Tigers (2021-26).
“Obviously, I appreciate it,” Hinch said. “However many wins you get as a manager, you always feel like you should have a little bit more. But I say all the time, I have an incredible job in an incredible city. I do respect how long it takes to pile up a number of things like that. But it’s not about me. It’s about the group that we go to battle with. I’m very fortunate to be in this position.”
Beyond the Tigers, Hinch joined an exclusive list among active managers.
Hinch joined Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona, becoming the second active manager with 400 wins with multiple teams.
Francona recorded 285 wins with the Philadelphia Phillies (1997-2000), 744 wins for the Boston Red Sox (2004-11), 921 wins for the Cleveland Guardians (2013-23) and 92 wins for the Reds (2025-26).
“A.J. is a very good manager,” said right-hander Casey Mize, who allowed one run across 5⅔ innings against the Marlins. “He’s obviously a big part of impacting our culture and what we’re about here. I’m super happy for him. Let’s keep stacking them. More wins to come.”
But Hinch didn’t celebrate 400 wins with the Tigers.
Rather than focusing on himself, Hinch praised his players and coaches for earning their sixth win of the 2026 season in Saturday’s game against the Marlins – back-to-back wins after five losses in a row.
“I love it for them,” Hinch said.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A.J. Hinch joins Terry Francona on exclusive list for active managers
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
